Pneumatic tire and rim construction



July 25, 1933. A H. SHOEMAKER PNEUMATIC TIRE AND RIM CONSTRUCTION Filed Sept. 1'7, 1950 INVENTOR 3 17/1/11? #Jkoemaier a 1 Patented July '25, 193

1 UNITim)vv A E PATENT OF 1 1i 1 ALVIN 1 1.1 sneer/11 1x112 or fsnarcrnn, WASHINGTON PNEUMATIC T111 13 Ann 1 1 1111 cousrnncrron,

Applicationffilcdisepteinbcr 17, 193p. Serial No. 482,461;

j j i nvention 1relates to improvements in 1 pneumatic tires and T111153 of the type CllS- 1 closed inmy prior applications Serial No. 357,875, filed .April 24;, l929,"and Serlal No."4:80,665-filedSept; 9, 1930. {In both of I theabove mentioned prior applications ;1 diselosea tire in which theusualnon-elastlc 1tbeadis left out "when the tire is moldedlor vulcanized. In the first nientionedfprior 01 application this bead is; applied 1 Jermanent X s ly1to the tire afterthe tirehas been taken out 1of the n1olds. Inthe last mentioned priorapp'lication the tire is marketed with out any non-elastic beadtherei'n and 'isattached tofla specially constructed 1 rim; by means of external split locking rings which constitute a part of the rimand always accompany the; ri1n,1the bead portions of the rim inthat form of constructionl 1 tireivwhich is manufacturedand marketed without any noirelastic bead therein and in which :a, non-elastic bead 1n the form ofzan a an bead portions of the tire at the timewthe tireis applied tothe rim; said retaining rlng accompanyingthe rim instead of the tire and being adapted to reduce the diameter 3P offsaid tiregand to bind the .tire securely totherini. 1 3 1 I In the manufacture of thegtires, ifthej 1 usual non-elastic or substantially non-elastic bead rings areleft out'of thebead portions of.thc tire at the time theti re is molded (the process ofmanufacture is greatly siniplifiedand the cost of -production is very Wfmuchreduced and the tires are left (with relatively flexible bead-portions instead I of *4 with stiff bead portions' thus making the tires easier and less {bulky [and 1 less cumbersome to handle in marketing. It is a primaryobjectnofhmy present invention to provide a tirein which the bead portions 4 Zero left fflexibleand pliable andin which the p non-elastic bead rings are detachable rela tivefito the tire and need; not be appliedjto 1 y the tire until such'time as the tire is placed tirebeing drawn around the outside of the 1 In my present application 11 provide a "resistant to puncture and more annular retaining ring is inserted within the vention to provide a tire of this nature which the bead portions ofthe tire will be drawn very vtightly into engagement With the rim when the tire is inflated to thereby form an "airjseal with the rim" thus making it possible, where an airtightrim1isused, ,to dispense withjthe usual inner tube.

It is" a further primary object of my invention to provide a tire of this nature which may be reduced in diameter by the insertion of the detachable non-elastic bead ringiandthen held to this reduced diameter whilein service byjsaid [detachable 110a.

1 1 While it isnot absolutely essential to this invention to reduce the diameter of the tire as above set fortlrI prefer to do so'to increase the wearing qualities of the tire and ,my preferred? method of producing these tll'GSrlSlZO construct the tires oversizeand after they have been put through the Vulcanizingormolding' process and preferablyat 1 the time they are applied to the rim" to reduce the size of the tire by drawing in on 1 p the same at the locationotthe beads thus puttingthe rubberor elastic material of the. tire under compression or increasing the den- ,1 sity of the same. The degree to which the density is increased will depend on the amount the tirevis reduced in diameter, it being preferable to increase the density enough to leave the rubberundercompression when the tire is inflatedbutit being possible to; increase the density only enough to offset or partially offset the stretching service.

1Tl1e usual tire has a normaland natural density iwhen not inflated and is stretched by s inflation so that a cutmade' in the outer wall m0 of the same will tend to open up. In my present tire the rubber may actually be ina compressed state after the tire is applied and inflated so that any out or puncture will tend to close up and remain closed and the wearing qualities of the tire increased, it being evident that rubber in a compressed state will have greater, wearing qualities than the same rubber will when used under tension or in a stretched condition.

Other and more specific objects of my invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing Figure 1, is a cross section of a. tire and rim constructedin accordance with myinventionparts being shown in elevation.

Figs. 2, 3, 4,5 and 6 are fragmentary sec tional views of slightly modified forms of said tire and rim showing one side of thetire and rim only.

Like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to Fig.1, I show a pneumatic tire embodying a tread portion 6 and two oppositely disposed side walls 7 each terminating in a relatively flexible edge portion 8 having an enlargement or bead 9 of flexible material formed thereon. Each edge portion 8 is relatively thin and is adapted to have a non-elastic annular detachable beadring 10 placed therein. The inner edge of the bead ring 10 rests against an inwardly extending flange portion 11 of the head portion 9 and the edge portion 8 of the tire draws outwardly around the outer edge of said detachable bead ring. The outer surface of the flexible edge portion 8 is seated on a relatively flat bead receiving portion 12 of a rim 1?). I The rim 1?). is preferably a deep chan' nelled air tight rim and is so illustrated in the drawing although it will be understood that any rim which has the bead receiving portions 12 and is externally channeled enough to facilitate application of the tire maybe used: The bead portion 9 has an air sealflange 14: which overlaps the edge of the rim at the inner extremity of the bead receiving portion 12 50 as to be drawn very tightly against the rim and cooperate with the rim to form an air seal. Each bead receiving portion 12 is curved outward slightly at? its outer edge as at 15 to afford a. slight raise against which the outer base portionofthe tire may press, said raised portion 15 serving as a positioning means for the tire and thebead ring and further serving as a weather seal to help exclude moisture and dirt. When the rim is made of sheet metal theouter edge of the same beyond the raised portion 15 may be bent inwardly as at'16.

In Fig. 1, I have shown the bead receiving portions of the rim as of slightly inclined or expanding shape from inside .to

the tire portions 8 will be gripped most tightly adjacent the bead portions 9. The tire may be reinforced, as by cords 17 which preferably extend radially of the tire but do not extend diagonally nor longitudinally of the same and these cords extend through the portions 8 and into the bead portions 9 so that when the tire is inflated the internal air pressure will have a tendency to draw the portions 8 outwardly and will draw the bead portions 9 outwardly and the air seal flanges will be drawn very firmly into contact with the rim thereby preventing leakage of air when no tube is used. To prevent leakage when no inner tube is used it-is essen tial that all reinforcing cords and the like be fullv covered by rubber.

In Fig. 2, I show a modified form of the invention in which the bead receiving portions 18 and the non-elastic bead rings 19 are not tapered nor inclined but are both cylindrical, except that the outer edge of the bead reeciving'portions 18. are each provided with an outwardly curved portion 20 C'Oll@ sponding to the previously described portion 15. In this form of the invention a ring 21 of rubber which is flexible and elastic but more solid than the. surrounding rubber is embedded in each head portion to offer er resistance to the forces which tend to draw the bead portions outwardly between the bead receiving rim portions 18 and" the non-elastic bead rings 19.

Inthe alternative construction shown in 3 the bead receiving rim portion 22 and non-elastic bead ring 10 are both tapered or cone-d the same amount in the same direction and the out turned portion at the outer edge of the bead receiving portion of the rim is omitted. v

In Fig. 4, the bead receiving portion 18 of the rim is cylindrical as in Fig. 4 and tapered non-elastic bead ring 10 as shown in Figs. 1. and 3 is used.

In Fig. v5, the bead receiving portion 23 of the rim is narrower but is otherwise similar to the bead receiving portion shown in Fig. 1 and a non-elastic bead ring 2 1 of substantially cylindrical cross section is used in the tire. I

In Fig. 6, the bead receiving portion 25 of the rim is curved and the'non-elastic bead ring 26 is of oval cross sectional shape, and is covered by elastic rubber 27 free from reinforcing.

Many other variations in the shapes of the bead receiving rim portions and the nonelastic bead rings may be used.

ICU

With the severalforinsi of my invention ing special tools, to place non elastic head I and at the sametinle reduce the external dialncter of the tire and place the rubber in the tread portion of said tire under suflicient compression so that it will remain co1npressed after the tire is inflated. After the non-elastic bead rings are inserted the tire may be placed on the rim by first dropping a peripheral .portions of the tire and head 15 rings into the recessed portion of the rim I then passingthe diametrically opposite tire and bead ring portions over the rim flanges, then allowing the tire bead portions to spring out and startonto the bead receivingflanges of the rim and. then admitting, air under pressure toforce said tire bead portions outwardly and cause them to seat properly on the rim flanges. When the tires are thus applied and inflated the bead portions "of the tires will cooperate with the riins to form an air seal which makes it a 1 possible to use the tires without inner tubes. a The foregoing description and accompanyi ing drawing clearly disclose a preferred em bodiment of my invention but itwill be una derstood that this disclosure is merely illustrative and that such changes in the inven scope 1.

tionimay be made as are fairly within the and spirit ofjthe following claims. 1 I claim:

non, a rimhaving inclined annular flanges v1 extending sidewise therefrom'and affording reinforcing leaving said tire free to stretch and compress longitudinallyand having inturned edge portions provided with intera conical'surfaces whereon' the base of a tire may rest, a tire having its transverse curvature onan arc of approximately one hundred eighty degrees saidtire being open aroundthe inner side and having radial cord nalgrooves and disposed to seat on saidrim 1. In a pneumatic tire and rim construcinturned edge portions whereby said in turned edge portions are held between said beadring and saidrim flanges, and a bead portion on the inner edge offeach of said rings of smaller diameter than the bead uportions of a tirewithin said bead portions inturned edge portions, said bead portions being of greater thicknessand bulk than the edge portions whereby theywill bind firmly g against said rim and will resist being drawn between saidbead ring and said rim flanges. 2. In ;tire means of the character decord reinforcing means extending radiallyof the tire, elastic tire bead portions at the rescribed; a one-piece annular pneumatic tire having its transverse curvature on an arcof approximately one hundred eighty degrees;

spective edges of said tire, each of said tire bead portions havin an internal annular groove, and aseparab e non-elastic bead ring of smaller diameter than said groove remov a able relative to said groove and adapted when disposed within said groove to retain said tirejin a circumferentially compressed condition. v i a In a tire and rim means of the character described; aperipherallyrecessed rim having inclined annular flanges forming tire bead receiving cones extending sidewise froml I the edges of said rim; relatively shallow raised portions formed at the outer'eXtremif i ties of said flanges; a one-piece annular pneumatic tire having its transversecurvature on an arc of substantlally one hundred eighty degrees; cord reinforcing meansextending radially of the tire; elastic tire bead portions atthe respective edges of said tire,

each of said tire bead portions having an internal annular groove, and a separable non-elastic bead ring removably disposed within thegroove in each of said tire bead portions said tire bead portions being adapted to seaton said tire bead receiving cones,

said shallow raised portions at the outer eX- tremities of said rim flanges affording an obstruction for engagement by the outer portions of the tire beads, the external diameter of saidshallow raised portions being less than the internal diameter of said non-elastic bead rings. a a a p i ALVIN SHOEMAKEB- 

